leech



(No Model.)

- T. F. LERCH.

CRATE.

No. 365,442. Patented Jun 2a, 1887.

,n WX In@ f .b J. f n WZ separate and space slats or bars A.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

TYBURTUS LEROH, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY FISHER, OF

' SAME PLACE.

CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part or Letters Patent No. 365,442, dated June 28, 1837.'

Application filed February 23, 18.4.6. Serial Nn. l92,9l7. (Nomodcl'.)

To all whom it may concern:

' Beit known that I, TYBURTUs F. LERcH, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improve- .ments in Crates, of which the following isa specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a perspective view of a crate made according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the web or fabric employed in making up the crate.

vIn the manufactn re oft-lie crate herein shown I make use of a fabric ofsubstantially the character illustrated in Fig. 2, and consisting of'a series of slats, A, connected together neartheir ends by wires B, which also serve to properly In making this fabric, which may be done either by hand` or by any machinery adapted therefor, thevwires B B are made to encircle one of the slats A near its ends, and are then crossed or twisted, after which the two strands of wire are again separated, a second slat introduced between them, and then again crossed or twisted, and so on to any desired extent, the fabric being rolled or packed in any suitable receptacle as fast as made.

' their separation and the slats becoming de! In making a cratc of the construction shown in Fig. 1, fabrics of the hereinbefore-dcscribed character and ot' two different widths are employed, the ends O O of the crate being made from a web of fabric of less width than that from which the sides D D, bottom E, and top or cover F are made. Portions ofthe fabrics, ot' right lengthto form a crate of the desired size, are cut from the respective webs, and the ends ot' the cut wires twisted together to prevent tached. The wider fabric is next bent around the end pieces, C C, inthe manner shown, the ends of those slats which form the ends .and sides of the crate interlapping to form the corners of the crate.

H H are nails, screws, or pegs, which may be passed through two or more of the interlocking ends of slats A, and thus made to assist in keeping the crate in proper shape. I I are binding wires or cords passing around the lower end slats and the wires B or other part of the bottom of the crate, and operating to .hold the bottom up close against the' ends -cases work satisfactorily.

lbe twisted one or more times, as atb.

O at all points intermediate between the front and rear sides. One or more of such binding wires or cords I may be employed at each end u of the crate, although I have usually found one at each end, arranged about midway be- I tween the front and rear sides, suliicient.

` itself vto sustain the lwhole weight ot' the contents ofthe crate, but is strengthened or supported by the other slats to which it is tied. This advantage, in -addition to the fact that the bottom-and top, when desired-may be detachably secured to the ends without the use of nails or screws, which would quickly destroy the slats, or without necessitating the cutting or otherwise forming the end pieces for this purpose, arises from making the ends and sides being formed from a flexible slatted fabric. It will be seen that the wires B are4 formed with loops or eyes at regular intervals, which loops surround the slats near their ends 5 and while I prefer to employ two strands ofwire at eachend of the Slat, this is not necessary, as a single wiremay be used, and will in some The two strands of wire may be simply crossed, as at I), or may The greater the number of twists in the wire, the tighter will the eye or loop inclose the slats. I have found that it is sufficient to simply cross the wires connecting the slats which make up the fabric from which the sides and bottom of the crate are made, but that it is better to twist the wires between the slats forming end pieces, C, as they should be somewhat more rigid than the other parts of the crate. The fabric is so made up that the spaces between the slats arc of the same width as are the slats, so that when the ends of the slats inter-lap, as at G, they shall rest directly one upon the other, thus adding materially tothe strength and rigidity of the crate. A

The cover F of the crate may be formed from the same piece of fabric as are the sides and bottom, as shown in Fig. 1, in which case the wires B will act as the hinges upon which the cover swings; or an ordiuaryboard cover may be hinged to one of the sides.

The fabric `herein described may be manu- ICO factured and sold to users, who may construct therefrom crates of sizes to suit their convenienee.

Among the advantages incident to a crate of this character are lightness and eheapness and the facility with which it may be knocked down and reshipped to sender after having been emptied ot' its contents.

By the employment of the fabric herein shown,` the depth of the crate may be varied or made to suit the requirement to which it is put, without necessitating that each piece from which the sides, bottom, and ends are made should be specially manufactured for each different size of crate intended to be put up, as would be necessary were the slats fastened to rigid strips, as has heretofore been common.

It is well known that the small boxes in which berries are shipped, and which a crate such as mine is adapted to carry, vary considerably in height. In order to meet all requirements, and a demand which has been long felt by users of such berrybexes, it is desirable that each user should be able to quickly, easily, and cheaply construct a crate of a size to suit the particular' style of boxes which he employs, and yet that all users should be able lo make up their crates from the same material. This object I have attained by the use ol' my invention, in which both the sides, bottom, and ends are made from a fabric such as described. This is rendered easy by reason of the fabric being ilexiblc at all points throughout its length, so that the side pieces maybe bent around the end pieces, whatever be the height of the latter; but this flexibility makes it desirable that the binding-wires lf should be employed, as shown, in order to keep the bottom from sagging away from the end pieces.

I am aware that fabrics similar to that shown herein have been employed for making fences; and hence I do not claim such as my invcn tion.

\Vhat l claim is- A crate having end pieces formed from a fabric, consisting of slats A and connectingwires l, and having sides and a bottom formed from a similar fabric, the ends of the slats of' the sides and of the ends intel-lapping, as at G, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereofl alllx my signature in presence of two witnesses. 

